Future Galerie, a unified art auction and sweepstakes platform, today announced the debut of its ongoing series of art auctions, with 100% of proceeds going to support social justice organizations that are taking deliberate actions to end systemic racism and create a more just and tolerant future. Future Galerie is produced by creative production house CANVAS Chicago.
CANVAS’ Creative Director Alaiia Gujral, along with co-curators Lonnie Edwards and Dont Fret, have assembled an impressive roster of acclaimed participating artists including Max Sansing, Adam Lucas (formerly Hanksy), JC Rivera, Kate Lynn Lewis, Dont Fret, Mauricio Ramirez, Lefty Out There, Langston Allston, Lala Abaddon, Liz Flores, Eva Carlini, Afrokilla, Shaurya Kumar (SAIC), Revise CMW, Troy Scat, and more to be announced.
Those wishing to participate in the auction have the option to bid to win available artwork. Each online auction will last 8-10 days, with the first pieces for bid to be available July 1, including BLM by Left Out There, DuSable by Marco Miller and a piece from Shaurya Kumar’s series “if in a sacred land a traveler…”
Each auction will culminate with an Instagram Live Chat with the artists, hosted by Gujral. Alternatively, select pieces will be available through a sweepstakes series for those that want to participate at a lower price point to win premium artwork, but still want to support the cause.
The sweepstakes series will each run for 10-14 days. This curated selection of artists include several with a background in street art, a subculture that has risen to become recognized as a major branch of contemporary art, but has frequently been rooted in social justice messages. Max Sansing is a Chicago-based artist, with works influenced by his upbringing on the South Side of the city and most known for his piece “Culture is Power.” Sansing was the winner of the ‘Best Street Artist’ category in the 2017 “Best of Chicago” awards and has received commissions from Nike and Chicago Fire, among other accolades.
Another featured Chicago-based muralist is JC Rivera, known for his signature “Bear Champ” caricature that is instantly recognizable. The bright yellow, roughed-up bear with boxing gloves can be found all throughout Chicago and Rivera is said to be one of Chicago’s favorite artists. Based in New York, street artist Adam Lucas (formerly Hanksy) will also be donating work for the auction. Lucas layers images, text and bold design with playfully acerbic references culled from contemporary culture. Liz Flores is a muralist that paints the human form through shapes and colors, who has worked with Sephora and Lululemon and will be donating work as well. Of the 19 artists, others with a history in street art include Afrokilla, Kate Lynn Lewis, Lefty Out There, Dont Fret, Mauricio Ramirez, Marco Miller, Langston Allston, Lonnie Edwards and more. Pieces available for bidding will be gradually rolled out on the Future Galerie website.
“Though racial injustice issues have been an ongoing problem in our country, the gravity of recent events has created an atmosphere where we are all compelled to take immediate action to help combat systemic racism. As a creative producer, I felt the most effective way for me to make a difference was by bringing artists and the community together to generate momentum and support for urgently needed change,” said Future Galerie Creative Director Alaiia Gujral. “This has long been a priority for me, and this platform feels like a perfect way for us to use our resources and connections to raise money for social justice organizations on the front lines of building a more tolerant and equitable future.”
For each auction or sweepstakes, 100% of the funds raised will support organizations of the artists’ choosing, but all are focused on taking deliberate actions to combat racism and create a more just future. Charities and organizations the artists have chosen to donate their proceeds to include SkyART, Black Youth Project, Color of Change, Story Catcher Theatre, and several others that support various aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement. Throughout the duration of the auction, each artist will go live on their Instagram pages to give insights about their chosen pieces. Bidders and viewers can tune-in to the live portion of the auction on @FutureGalerie’s and the artists’ Instagram pages.
About Future Galerie
Future Galerie is a unified art auction platform that allows prominent artists and creators to raise money for social organizations, of their choosing, that are taking deliberate actions to create a more just and tolerant future. Future Galerie unites the artists’ respective audiences into one amplified voice of support, while allowing each artist to show support for organizations they are individually passionate about. Chicago-based CANVAS, a production company with a history of producing successful in-person events fusing art and music, is the umbrella organization that is producing Future Galerie.
The organizers of Future Galerie are all creative producers and creative directors, bringing people and resources together to take an active role in a solution to social justice issues.
About Creative Director Alaiia Gujral
Born in India, Gujral earned her Bachelor’s from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she studied Print Media, Ceramics and Fibers. During her collegiate career, she was invited to show her work at a series of exhibitions that led to her discovering her passion for art curation and cultural event production. In her work with the Gujral Foundation, an international philanthropic art and culture organization, she has directed multiple national and international projects including installations in the Venice Biennale and London Design Biennale. Gujral joined CANVAS Chicago in 2017 and established herself as the creative director of several projects including The Saideira Dinner Series and, currently, the Future Galerie online art auction platform in support of combating systemic racism.
About Co-Curator Lonnie Edwards
Lonnie Edwards is an acclaimed producer and filmmaker. With his first two films, “Parietal Guidance” and “A Ferguson Story,” the Chicago-based director quickly earned a reputation for documenting and dramatizing lives in oppressed and marginalized communities. His work has won numerous festival prizes, honors from the Gene Siskel Film Center, a spot on Film50s list for most influential people in film and he was chosen as Newcity magazine’s 2016 “Filmmaker of the Year.” His short music documentary “Exodus: Sounds of the Great Migration” screened at this year’s Pan African International Film Festival in Cannes, where it won awards for “Best Experimental Short Film” and “Best New Director.” Though he most recently has taken a hiatus from filmmaking to focus on other forms of art after premiering new works for the first time at ART BASEL MIAMI. His most recent short film “Periphery” (2019) currently ranks amongst the top 100 short films internationally by LIFT-OFF Global. Edwards continues to create art that speaks to the injustices prevalently happening in America.
About Co-Curator Dont Fret
Dont Fret is an artist born, raised and currently working in Chicago. In addition to his wheat pasting, his practice includes drawing, painting, sculpture, performance and installation-based work both on the street and in the gallery space. He has produced large-scale public murals in a number of American cities including Chicago, New York, Miami, San Francisco and Denver as well as internationally in cities like London, Helsinki, São Paulo and Berlin. His work has been in a number of gallery exhibitions nationally and internationally, with shows in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, London, and Oakland. In 2014, he was included in Paint Paste Sticker – the large Chicago street art survey at the Chicago Cultural Center. In 2016-2018, his work was prominently featured in the Netflix original series “Easy.”
About CANVAS Chicago
CANVAS Chicago is a creative production and marketing company that concepts, develops, funds, and executes art-forward public initiatives and immersive event experiences that bring together innovative creatives and producers and push the threshold of what is possible in this field in Chicago and beyond. CANVAS’ consulting studio also works with clients on creative event production, digital design, and growth marketing initiatives. CANVAS has coordinated immersive events and experiences for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Sciences, EXPO Chicago, Art Basel, Rolling Stone Magazine, Red Bull, and many more.
